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Summary

The USS Enterprise-D has discovered the wreckage of the Odin, a freighter that disappeared seven years earlier. It was disabled by a collision with an asteroid, and there are no life signs on board, but three escape pods are missing. The Enterprise travels to Angel I, the nearest class M planet, to search for survivors. Angel I is a female-dominated society, ruled by six elected mistresses and a leader known simply as "the elected one". It has been 62 years since the last Federation contact with the planet.

Petitioning the Mistresses

The Enterprisehails the planet, and Troi speaks with the elected one, Mistress Beata. Although initially wary, she agrees to let an away team beam down to visit the planet. As the away team heads for the transporter room, they encounter Wesley and a friend coming out of the holodeck after a Skiing lesson. The away team of Data, Riker, Troi and Yar beam down to the planet, where they meet with Beata and ask about any survivors that might be on the planet. Still suspicious, she asks why they are only coming now, and Riker explains that the discovery of the freighter was unexpected. Their only purpose in coming is to find any survivors and bring them home. Another member of the council, Ariel, expresses her misgivings, and Beata refuses to tell them if there are survivors. Instead Beata's male servant, Trent, takes them to another room. Troi reckons that Beata's refusal to tell them about the survivors confirms that there are survivors.

Back on the Enterprise, Picard tells Worf in the turbolift that they have to prepare for a trip to the Neutral Zone when the away team returns, as Romulanbattle cruisers have been detected near a border post. As they pass the holodeck, they are hit by a snowball thrown by Wesley. Picard scolds him. He also detects an unusual smell that Worf identifies as Klingon.

Data is investigating some perfume when Trent returns to bring them back to the council chambers. Beata tells them that, although the decision was not unanimous, they have decided to tell them about the survivors. She says there were four of them, and their leader is a man named Ramsey. However, they are now fugitives in hiding: some time after arriving on Angel I, they started to abuse the hospitality they received and began to cause trouble. She warns Riker that they are dangerous.

"...it's kind of sexy!"

Meanwhile, Dr. Crusher tells Picard that Wes and his friend are sick with a respiratory ailment. She is, however, working on a vaccine. On the planet, Data suggests that they can locate the survivors by searching for platinum, an element not found on Angel One, but which would have been brought by the survivors. Data asks La Forge to begin the search. Riker is brought an outfit worn by the men of the planet, as he wants to wear it when he meets Beata. Troi and Yar find his appearance wearing the outfit hilarious.

Dr. Crusher examines Captain Picard, pronounces him unfit for command, and orders him to bed. He relents and tells La Forge he has command. Geordi sits in the captain's chair, and Worf tells him the platinum has been located on the planet. Riker meets with Beata and tells her the Enterprise has found the location of the survivors. Ariel is still suspicious and tells Riker this, then she storms out. Riker waits with Beata and tells Yar to begin the search. She, Data and Troi beam to the location of the platinum, a cave mouth, where they meet a man who says he's been expecting them.

Crusher tells La Forge there are 82 more cases of the virus and she's converted a holodeck to deal with it. Worf then leaves the bridge to go to sickbay. Meanwhile Yar tells Ramsey how they found him, and tells him they're bringing him home. He shocks them by telling them he doesn't want to leave as he and the others are happy. They have wives and in some cases children.

Diplomatic courtesy

Beata tells Riker that Ramsey and his friends are anarchists and outlaws. She starts flirting with him, and as they start to kiss, Trent walks in with a present that Riker has brought for her. He shows her the Albeni meditation crystal, before they get back to kissing. Ramsey tells the rest of the away team that at first they thought Angel One was great, but then they saw how the men had no respect and were discriminated against. When they spoke out, they were forced to become fugitives. He refuses to leave, and Data adds that they can't force him, as he and his crew are not part of Starfleet, nor do they have to obey the Prime Directive. Crusher tells La Forge there are more sick than beds, and he remarks they'd be seriously undermanned against the Romulans.

Yar contacts La Forge, asking to beam the three of them to their previous location, where they will regroup with Riker and return to the ship. He informs them that one-third of the crew is infected and more Romulan vessels are converging in the Neutral Zone. Ramsey won't tell them how he knew they were coming, but after they beam up, Ariel comes out of the cave and kisses him.

Sick aboard ship

Riker is with Beata when Trent enters and tells her that the away team hasn't got the survivors. Yar fills in Riker, and then Beata says she is forced to sentence the survivors to death. Dr. Crusher visits Picard in his quarters to give him some medicine and notices the same odor that Picard smelled at the holodeck. She realizes that this is the way the virus spreads. Down on the planet, Data tells Riker that seven Romulan battle cruisers are now in the vicinity of the outpost, and the USS Berlin has responded to the distress call. However the presence of the Enterprise is still regarded as vital.

Beata brings in Ramsey and his crew, whom she found by having Ariel followed. She tells Riker that the fugitives are to be executed tomorrow. Riker is outraged and asks her for another chance to convince Ramsey to leave with them. She agrees, but Ramsey still won't go. Riker wants to beam them aboard anyway, against their will, in violation of regulations. However, Dr. Crusher won't allow anyone to come aboard the ship. Geordi has succumbed to the virus, and she can't find a cure. Riker orders Data to beam up and take the Enterprise to the Neutral Zone before it is too late.

Data in command

The next day, Trent invites them to come to the execution. Data contacts them and says they still have time before their ship has to leave for the Neutral Zone: 47 minutes to be exact. Riker agrees to attend the execution, which will be carried out by disintegrating the fugitives. Riker makes a speech about how Beata is trying to hold back evolution, which can't be done, and warns her that she'll make a martyr out of Ramsey. At the last second, she relents and adjourns to reconsider. Crusher informs Data that she has devised an innoculant. Data then informs Riker that the Enterprise is ready for the away team to return. Riker instructs Data to maintain a lock on the away team and Ramsey's group but to stand by for further instruction. Beata then returns and says she's decided to stay the executions, and she exiles Ramsey and his followers to a remote region.

The away team returns to the Enterprise and gets inoculated against the virus. Captain Picard, although hoarse, has returned to the bridge, and the ship heads for the Neutral Zone.

"We have deterimined that the heretical teachings of Ramsey and his followers are inconsistent with harmonious life on Angel One. Our patient efforts to silence revolutionary voices have failed. Therefore, we are left with none but the most final alternative."

(Trent demonstrates the device used on Angel One for executions, vaporizing a vase)

"As you can see we are not without compassion. Your deaths will be swift and painless."

- Beata, Elected One of Angel One

" After careful consideration this legislature has voted to stay the executions of the prisoners. Their children will be returned to them immediately. Do not rejoice prematurely. Ramsey and his followers are to be exiled to a distant and unpopulated region. Life will be difficult there, with little time for revolutionary or evolutionary upheaval. As some have observed we may not be able to stop evolution, but perhaps we can reduce it to a slow crawl. (aside) For a man, you can be very clever, Commander Riker."

- Beata, informing Ramsey and the Enterprise crew of the vote to stay the executions

In Patrick Barry's original story Beata was named Victoria and she imprisoned Riker after he directly adressed her and then touched her hand. Tasha Yar stunned Riker to prevent him being killed and then took over command of the away team. In this version Captain Picard was the only person aboard the Enterprise-D who was affected by the virus. The male slaves started a revolution, led by Lucas Jones who was killed. (Creating the Next Generation: The Conception and Creation of a Phenomenon, p.52)

The final draft script, which was submitted seven days before shooting began, is slightly different from the final episode:

Wesley Crusher had two buddies who accompany him to his ski trip on the holodeck and is calling it the SwissAlps instead of the Denubian Alps.

In this script version no Romulan was mentioned being a threat. The heading for the Enterprise-D was the Avastam Triangle where a Federation outpost was surrounded by seven Ferengi battle cruisers.

Following their first visit on the planet's surface, the away team was invited to an evening meal. This was also the time Riker and Troi delivered their gift, the Albeni meditation crystal.

During the evening meal, Data sat next to Mistress Di who would later bring him to a separate room and a terminal where he could study the history of Angel I. She also tried to seduce him and kissed him.

Ramsey and fellow survivors were not hiding in this version. There was only one survivor, Ramsey, and he was a prisoner of Beata. A guard brought him into the evening meal, restrained, at the order of Beata. Ramsey tried to knock one of the guards down and was himself knocked to the ground. When Tasha scanned him with a tricorder she tried to calm him down and told him that they'll bring him home but Ramsey responded that this is his home.

Wesley and his two buddies were treated in sickbay because of their viral infection. Wesley is comparing the infection with a Romulan thumping cough. The twelve students got this virus from a real trip to Quazulu VIII and not from the holographic recreation on the holodeck.

During the away team mission there were several conversations between Troi and Riker with harsh words. Troi named the attraction between Beata and Riker and Riker had a problem accepting Troi as the commanding officer of the away team.

Dr. Crusher relieved La Forge from duty when he became ill. She took command of the Enterprise-D and did her research from the conn station.

Ramsey escaped from his prison before he could be transported to the Enterprise-D. When Troi decided to beam back to the ship and heading for the Avastam Triangle and come back later, Beata and two guards disarmed the away team and held them prisoners. They got their gear back when Ramsey was imprisoned again. But Dr. Crusher declined to beam the away team back because of the virus, only Data was beamed aboard. The rest of the away team was again held prisoners.

Mistress Ariel, who previously helped Ramsey to escape brought a communicator to the away team. When the away team prepared to beam aboard, including Ramsey, Ariel told them about an expecting child from Ramsey. After a discussion about the Prime Directive, the away team assisted Ariel and Ramsey in their escape and then paid a visit to Beata who got furious and threw the Albeni meditation crystal into the direction of the away team but failed because Troi, Tasha, and Riker already beamed back aboard the Enterprise-D.

Props and sets

Malcor III, new painting

Krios Prime

Klaestron IV

Banea

The matte painting of the surface of Angel I was reused many times in later Star Trek episodes.

The first reuse came in the episode "Samaritan Snare", when the Angel I matte was used to depict Starbase 515 without any change. In the episode "First Contact", the painting remained substantially the same to depict the surface of Malcor III, though the colors were slightly more intense, the hue being overall more green compared to Angel I. A completely new painting was produced to represent another view of the planet, the style being similar to the original Angel I scenery.

In the episode "The Mind's Eye", the Angel I matte was modified to represent the Klingon colony Krios Prime. Trees were removed, and the style of the buildings were "Klingon-ized". Several new buildings were added in the background, the most prominent bearing the Klingon emblem.

For the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode, "Dax", much of the original Angel I scenery was restored, adding a new tall building in the background for the night shot (which had curiously disappeared at daytime) and omitting some of the greenery. The colors for the day shot are more intense than the original matte; instead, it appears more similar to Malcor III.

Continuity

This episode marks the first mention of the Romulans in The Next Generation.

Data's party transports directly from their planetside accommodations to Ramsey's camp, marking the second occurrence of site-to-site transport, though it is not given its specific name yet. The first occurrence was in "Encounter at Farpoint", when Riker and Data beamed to Troi's position underneath Farpoint Station.

This was the first Star Trek episode to have the Prime Directive in its modern incarnation. While it had been mentioned a few times previously in the series (most notably in "Justice"), the writers had been working by the version from Star Trek: The Original Series, which only applied to pre-warp civilizations. With this story, Gene Roddenberry rewrote the Prime Directive into a doctrine of total non-interference with the affairs of other species, irrespective of technology level.

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